MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
CITY COUNCIL & WPC AUTHORITY
APRIL 14, 2008
A SPECIAL MEETING of the City Council & WPC Authority was held on Monday, April 14, 2008 in the Council Chambers to discuss budgets.
Those in attendance included Mayor Ryan J. Bingham, City Councilors Rick E. Dalla Valle, Elinor Carbone, Thomas C. Jerram, Drake L. Waldron, and Comptroller Alice Proulx. City Councilors Michael Colangelo and Marie P. Soliani were absent.
Mayor Bingham called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to review / discuss budgets.
BOARD OF TAX REVIEW #030
On a motion by Councilor Dalla Valle, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Board of Tax Review Budget.
BOARDS AND AGENCIES #040
Mayor Bingham pointed out that, except for contractually obligated increases, the Boards and Agencies budget was brought back to last year’s amounts, and any new requests were eliminated.
Councilor Dalla Valle made a motion to tentatively approve the Boards and Agencies budget as noted by Mayor Bingham, but included an addition of $5,000.00 to help sustain the Torrington Early Childhood Collaborative that has been functioning off a memorial grant since 2003 which is about to expire early next year. Councilor Carbone seconded the motion.
Under a discussion, Councilor Dalla Valle noted that the Collaborative has expanded its services to more than just pre-school and day care centers. They are involving the Police Department, the Fire Department, Mental Health, Hospital, and the entire community and they’ve come up with a plan that will ultimately have a goal of giving every child in the City of Torrington the same access to pre-school, regardless of whether or not they can afford to pay for it. The $5,000.00 will give them seed money when the grant expires.
Councilor Jerram inquired whether the TECC’s goal was still to achieve more self-sustaining funds elsewhere, and if they had submitted a budget to the city.
Councilor Dalla Valle explained that city funds will not be their sole source of funding going forward; however, they may look to be included on the list of Boards and Agencies in the future to help sustain them. He stated that the Collaborative has taken in a couple hundred thousand dollars in grant money to date. He also noted that the city was furnished with a copy of their budget.
Mayor Bingham stated that one of his goals going into the next budget year will be to assess the funds being given to Boards and Agencies in order to level the playing fields.
VOTE #310
The vote was unanimous.
CITY COUNCIL #320
On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the City Council budget.
MAYOR #335
$11,500.00 in Line Item #5223.0000 Education & School will pay for the Mayor and his Administrative Assistant to take two classes in Uconn’s MPA Program.
Councilor Dalla Valle pointed out that the Personnel Committee is interested in changing the Management Resolution to reflect that anyone taking advantage of any courses need to remain with the City of Torrington for several years, if they have control over that, or reimburse the city with a portion of that cost.
Councilor Dalla Valle commended Mayor Bingham for including the funds in the budget, because the Management Resolution allows its employees to take advantage of this educational stipend.
Councilor Carbone indicated that she supported the request because the classes they will be taking are very focused and will clearly benefit the Mayor and his assistant in running the city. She agreed with Councilor Dalla Valle that the Management Resolution should reflect the change he mentioned.
VOTE #675
On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Mayor’s Budget.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT #685
On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Economic Development Budget.
BOND REDEMPTION #725
On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Bond Redemption Budget.
DEBT INTEREST #730
On a motion by Councilor Carbone, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Debt Interest Budget.
INSURANCE #750
On a motion by Councilor Carbone, seconded by Councilor Jerram, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Insurance Budget.
PENSION & BENEFITS #760
On a motion by Councilor Carbone, seconded by Councilor Dalla Valle, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Pension & Benefits Budget.
TAX COLLECTOR #875
On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Tax Collector Budget.
CONTINGENCY #900
On a motion by Councilor Carbone, seconded by Councilor Dalla Valle, the Council voted unanimously to tentatively approve the Contingency Budget.
ADJOURNMENT #920
On a motion by Councilor Dalla Valle, seconded by Councilor Jerram, the Council voted unanimously to adjourn at 6:30 p.m.
JOLINE LeBLANC
ASST. CITY CLERK
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